HOUSTON – The possibility of trading for Shohei Ohtani, however faint, captivates the Rangers. The frailty of the bullpen, however, remains the team’s biggest weakness.
Houston emphasized that for them again on Monday, erasing three different Rangers leads to take a 10-9 walk-off win in the first game of their AL West hoedown at Minute Maid Park. What was mostly a wild and rollicking game – albeit not crisp, in the slightest - ended when rookie Alex Speas, who hasn’t been in the majors a week, allowed a run-scoring single to Yainer Diaz.
It came after Speas, making his third major league appearance, had walked the leadoff batter in the inning, Kyle Tucker, and then Chas McCormick, who had already torched the Rangers for six RBIs on the night. Tucker scored the game-winner sliding in ahead of Nathaniel Lowe’s relay of Travis Jankowski’s throw from right field. It moved the Astros back within two games of the Rangers in the AL West.
If you are wondering why Speas, who began the year in Double-A, was pitching the ninth of a tie game in a tight AL West race, well, that’s a good question. For that, there are no good answers. Only this truth:
“We’re a little thin in the bullpen right now,” manager Bruce Bochy allowed.
Plain talk.
When the Rangers failed to score in the ninth, Bochy was left with these choices:
--Use veteran/part-time closer Will Smith to try to keep the game tied, knowing that the best-case scenario was he would have to turn a tie game with a runner on second over to a rookie for extra innings.
--Or use the rookie with nobody on base in the ninth and hold Smith for the even more delicate situation in extra innings.
There was no in-between. Having burned José Leclerc, Aroldis Chapman (unsuccessfully for the first time) and Brock Burke, earlier after Jon Gray struggled with his command, Bochy had either Smith or a quartet of rookies to choose from. That list: Speas, Yerry Rodriguez, Owen White or Cody Bradford. And the Rangers were trying to hold Bradford and White to pitch Tuesday in Nathan Eovaldi’s spot. The Rangers left Minute Maid Park Monday still uncertain of who would start Tuesday.
“We thought it was the best [choice],” Bochy said of going to Speas. “He’d had a really good outing and one that was a little shaky. If he gets the ball over the plate, he’s fine. We just had trouble getting the ball over the plate.”
The statement speaks to the Rangers’ problem on Monday and their precarious bullpen situation at the moment. At the moment? Really, more like all season. The bullpen has been an issue since the start of camp. The Rangers could use a starting pitcher and they could use another bat and, funny thing, if the Angels do make Ohtani available, he could fill both those roles. But they need more bullpen depth.
The bullpen had been boosted by the addition of Chapman, who had not allowed a walk or run in a month as a Ranger until handed a three-run lead in the seventh Monday. He walked consecutive hitters, then allowed a three-run, game-tying homer to McCormick. It gave McCormick six RBIs for the night.
When the night was done, it marked the 17th loss for the Rangers in a game in which they led or were tied going to the seventh. It’s the most among any MLB team that began Monday with a winning record.
It’s why the Rangers continue to plumb the still-emerging relief trade market for middle-inning options. They simply lack experience. And if they use their experienced relievers in high-leverage middle-inning situations, they are left with nothing but rookies at the end. The trade deadline is Aug. 1 at 5 pm CT. It may seem like it’s just around the corner, but each day brings more sellers into the market.
The Rangers led often on Monday. Three times, in fact. They scored twice in the first before Gray allowed four runs in the bottom of the inning when he struggled to command his slider. The Rangers answered with three runs in the second, extended the lead to 6-4 and then gave back two runs when Gray “lost rhythm” again in the fifth. The Rangers had retaken the lead in the top of the seventh on two bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly, stellar situational baseball.
And then it evaporated in the bottom of the inning.
“We just walked too many guys tonight,” Bochy said. “We’ve got to be sharper on the mound.”
On Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.